So my time here in Kenya is dwindling. I can’t believe I’ll be home in about 2.5 weeks! It feels like I just got here and really haven’t experienced all that I should have. But the good news is that mother is coming in a week! Her and I will be traveling around Kenya for a week. I plan on taking her to Maasai Mara on a safari so she can see what everyone who comes to Africa wants to see: the animals. I also want her to see Kibera, [...]

Not much new has been happening here as of late. Just been going to the hospital every day and working on papers and relaxing on weekends. I got decently sun burned this week. I was outside for less than an hour!! Didn’t take long, I guess. Next weekend, I’ll be heading to Lamu (see previous entry). It’s Easter weekend then, so they get four days off in Kenya. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. That will be a nice little break. I hear that they offer donkey rides around the whole town, [...]

I am now on Kenya’s coastline. I am very close to the Tanzanian border in a town called Msambweni (m-sam-BWAY-nee). It’s a cute little town with barely the essentials. My house has power, running water, a TV, and toilets (they don’t flush; you have to rinse the bowl with a little bucket of water). I am living a whopping 2 minute walk away from the Indian Ocean. It’s like looking at a post card when I walk to the beach. There are palm trees and then sand and then blue [...]

Today, I had a Q & A session with the kids at Nazarene Primary. Here were some of their questions. Enjoy. Do you see Obama every day? Are their witch doctors in America? Do you pay to go to college? How many hours away is America? Can you take us to America? How many Kenyan shillings equal $1? Do you eat ugali? How many kinds of tea to you drink? Do people write on computers or in notebooks? What is the capital of America? How do I stay in America? [...]

So, I feel like I submit more homework to this blog than to school here, but whatever. These papers are basically journal/blog entries (two birds, one stone). This is an assignment I wrote for my Country Analysis class: Last week, three of us were walking away from the MSID office and encountered a situation that none of us were prepared for at the time. As we were walking and enjoying the warm, beautiful day, my friend Anna saw a man begin to move his body violently. He soon fell to [...]

Today, 8 of us made our way to Nazarene Primary School, located in Kibera. I cannot say for sure whether I was more excited or dreading my first trip to Kibera. With the stigma of being “Africa’s largest slum area,” it can be quite intimidating. On the other hand, I came here to really get my hands dirty and stick myself into precarious situations in hope of gaining both insight and personal strength. Feelings in check, we hopped on a matatu by Prestige (mall area), paid our 10 shillings and [...]

In Kenya: french fries are called chips in public restrooms, the toilet paper is located outside of the stalls urinal cakes are spherical their time systems starts at 7 AM their week begins on Saturday trash is called litter there are rarely traffic lights, only round-abouts all cell phones are pay-as-you-go many people have 2-3 cell phones flashlights are called torches everyone in schools wear uniforms they drive on the left side of the road and on the right side of the vehicle you are forced to eat until you [...]

My family: George, Virgnia, grandaughter Wangu, daughter Lulu (means diamond in Kiswahili). George, or Papa, doesn’t smile in pictures, but is funny and likes to laugh at a bunch of things. Big heart. His favorite American TV show is WWE wrestling. He tries to argue with Virginia, but she always wins. Virginia, or Mama, is always there for me and I can ask anything if I am unsure of how to act in a certain situation. She takes care of me like I’m a little boy. I love it!! Lulu [...]

I’m sitting on the plane to Nairobi as I am typing this message and am not really sure I fully know what I’m getting myself into. Am I ready for it? Maybe. The first week shouldn’t be too terrible because I’ll be with mostly Americans and there is only an orientation to the program. After that, I get a not so reassuring thrust into the lives of my host family in Nairobi. I’m not sure what to expect because they say every family can be quite different. The only hint [...]